California employed more tech workers than any other state in 2012, according to a new report by the TechAmerica Foundation.
WASHINGTON, DC – California employed more tech workers than any other state in 2012, according to a new report by the TechAmerica Foundation.
In its 15th edition of Cyberstates, the foundation said California’s tech industry added 17,700 net jobs between 2011 and 2012, for a total of 968,800 jobs, the most tech workers in the nation.
Growth was led by industry sectors such as computer systems design (+9,600) and R&D and testing labs (+4,600), the report said.
“California remains a critical state for the technology industry,” said Matthew Kazmierczak, Vice President of the TechAmerica Foundation and author of Cyberstates. “Of the 15 technology sectors that Cyberstates tracks, California led in 12 of the sectors. As the tech industry employs some 7.8 percent of California’s private sector workforce, state and federal officials need to continue to provide an environment for technology to thrive. This includes providing a strong foundation in STEM education and promoting tax and regulatory reform that makes the state a more business friendly location.”
The report also said California’s tech workers had the nation’s highest annual average wage at $123,900, which is 131 percent more than the state’s average private sector wage of $53,600.
Nationally, the U.S. tech industry added 67,400 net jobs in 2012, for a total of 5.95 million workers, growing at 1.1 percent, and representing 5.4 percent of the entire private sector workforce. Overall, the average U.S. tech wage was $93,800 compared to $47,700 for the average private sector worker.
